• Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • Of The Essence
    • Celebrity News
    • If Not For My Girls
    • The State Of R&B
    • Time Of Essence
  • Fashion
    • 2023 Best In Black Fashion Awards
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • Red Carpet
    • Fashion News
    • Accessories
  • Beauty
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
    • 2023 Best In Black Beauty
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Hair
      • Hair News
      • Natural
      • Relaxed
      • Transitioning
      • Weave
      • 4C
  • Lifestyle
    • Love
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
    • Bridal Bliss
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
  • Entrepreneurship
    • Power 40
    • Money & Career
    • SOKO MRKT
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Shopping
    • Essence Holiday Gift Guide 2023
  • Video
  • Events
    • 2023 Fashion House
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home • News

5 Questions for Common on Hosting 'Excellence' Gala

As if his looks aren't enough, rapper-actor Common understands the power of a woman. To that end, the hip-hop legend is hosting a Gala through his Common Ground foundation, which aims to help youth in under-served areas of Chicago and nationally, to celebrate women in excellence and leadership. The event will be held in Common's Windy City hometown and will honor Dr. Maya Angelou, actress Keke Palmer, business executive Dee Robinson Reid and "The View‚" host Sherri Shepherd. ESSENCE.com spoke with the handsome artist about his honorees and how his experiences have shaped his upcoming album, "The Dreamer The Believer..."
5 Questions for Common on Hosting ‘Excellence’ Gala
Common Tour Bhm 260 Jpg
By Hillary Crosley · Updated October 28, 2020

common-tour-bhm-1.jpg

As if his looks aren’t enough, rapper-actor Common understands the power of a woman. To that end, the hip-hop legend is hosting a Gala through his Common Ground foundation, which aims to help youth in under-served areas of Chicago and nationally, to celebrate women in excellence and leadership.

The event will be held in Common’s Windy City hometown and will honor Dr. Maya Angelou, actress Keke Palmer, business executive Dee Robinson Reid and “The View‚” host Sherri Shepherd. ESSENCE.com spoke with the handsome artist about his honorees and how his experiences have shaped his upcoming album, “The Dreamer The Believer.”

ESSENCE.com: Congratulations on tonight’s Common Ground Gala, why honor these women?
COMMON:
We wanted to have honorees that represented different aspects of leadership and success in our culture. We started with Maya Angelou, she’s the queen and it doesn’t get any greater than that. Dee Robinson is a business power in the Chicago community, she’s helped so many people. Sherri Shepard is advancing our culture in media and I thought she was really fresh in “Precious.” Keke Palmer is the great promise of the future and my daughter loves [her Nickelodeon show], “True Jackson.” It’s a good group of Black woman who are contributing to our culture through leadership.

ESSENCE.com: Is this is your first upscale Gala event for Common Ground?
COMMON:
Yeah, we usually do concerts which are fun but we figured we could make a Gala fun too by having people sit down and making it fancy. We’re excited.

ESSENCE.com: Does it ever feel strange to acknowledge how far you’ve come from your first album, 1992’s “Can I Borrow A Dollar”?
COMMON:
Sometimes I have to look around and say to myself, ‘Man, I can’t believe I’m doing this’ and thank God. But you have to believe it, that’s the only way you can do it.

ESSENCE.com: How does your family respond to fancier events like the Common Ground Gala and the other career strides you’ve made?
COMMON:
They get most excited about the movies. To be honest, the first time I saw myself on a movie screen in “Smoking Aces” I was like, ‘Wow’ because I loved movies as a kid but I never thought about being in them. But the more I dreamed about it, the more it could happen. That’s why my new album is called, ‘The Dreamer The Believer.’

ESSENCE.com: Do you have something to prove with ‘The Dreamer…’ since many felt ‘Universal Mind Control’ was too pop-driven?
COMMON:
Yeah, you’re going to see the hunger on this one. When I do something experimental and people talk sh—, it gets me charged up but I like those challenges.

The Common Ground Foundation’s gala honoring Dr. Angelou, Sherri Shepherd, KeKe Palmer, business leader Dee Robinson Reid takes place today in Chicago.

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now